In Bombay Bicycle Club's song Bad Timing, the lyrics explore the complexity of a relationship that seems to be reaching its end. The singer asks his lover to hold his gaze and not to pay attention to anyone else who might be distracting her. He wonders why she is holding him back, despite his attempts to move forward. He acknowledges her power over him but feels like she is keeping him from reaching his full potential. The lyrics "No never can it be, these are the words that you once said to me" suggest that there was a time when the relationship might have worked, but that it is now beyond repair.

The chorus repeats the question, "Why do you keep me back?" with an added line stating that the singer is not home enough and that when he returns, she has left. He wonders if it was all just bad timing, implying that if their paths had crossed at a different time, things might have been different. The use of the phrase "bad timing" throughout the song gives a sense of fate and how things can go wrong despite our intentions.

Overall, the lyrics of Bad Timing capture the emotional complexity of a failing relationship and speak to the idea that sometimes love just isn't enough to make things work.